Centennial Avatar
by TragicTaco
Summary: My take on what should've happened at the end of the episode, "Centennial Charmed". Heh, my apologies to Phoebe fans in advance.
1. The Flames

Title: Centennial Avatar  
  
Author: CerebralSocko aka Mr. Kaiyanwang  
  
Disclaimer: "Cole", "Avatars", "Piper", "Phoebe", "Paige" and all other characters used are the sole properties of Spelling Television.  
  
Prologue: The Flames  
  
"GOOOOODD, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!"  
  
Explosion.  
  
That was it. The last cry of the mighty Balthazor, otherwise known as Cole Turner.  
  
As he was engulfed in orangie-red flames and the demonic skull within his head began to crack apart, everything flashed in his mind at once. Memories of the love that he and Phoebe once shared. The demons that they'd vanquished together through teamwork. All of the misunderstanding that he and her sisters had between them -- and their utter lack of desire to correct them. The sacrifices that he had made earlier for that one shred of hope; it was a hope that, perhaps in an alternate reality, the love that he and Phoebe shared would still exist -- no, not just exist, but be stronger than ever.  
  
Even though the vanquish only lasted a few seconds, in his mind, it felt like an eternity.  
  
He couldn't believe it. Were they really not fated to be together? Everything seemed to have went well -- he was in the middle of a surprise birthday party; she was still his wife; hell, even the Seer was still alive and well.  
  
But then, everything fell apart.  
  
He caught Phoebe openly flirting with other men -- openly, dammit. The Seer was beginning to become suspicious of him. And, that bitch Paige had somehow slipped through the cracks and was in the alternate reality that he had created. Prior to her appearance and prior to her slicing off a piece of his flesh, he was already in a bad mood. You would be too, if you had sacrificed much of your power and immortality for the chance to be with a woman, only to later find her in bed with another man.  
  
As flames covered his entire being, feelings of despair, distaught, and betrayal overcame him. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he let out a piercing scream -- a scream that would echo througout the mansion after the vanquish was over. He felt intense pain; the Balthazor side of his being was responding to the potion.  
  
"GOOOOODD, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" he screamed.  
  
Poof.  
  
The fire disappeared instantly, taking Cole with it. The echos of his scream and the mightly BOOM of the explosion combined was all that remains.  
  
That was it; Balthazor had finally been vanquished.  
  



	2. The Darkness

Title: Centennial Avatar  
  
Author: CerebralSocko aka Mr. Kaiyanwang  
  
Disclaimer: "Cole", "Avatars", "Piper", "Phoebe", "Paige" and all other characters used are the sole properties of Spelling Television.  
  
Chapter 1: The Darkness  
  
Darkness. Silence. Pitch black.  
  
Nothing was visible. Nothing can be seen. Nothing can be heard. Eerie darkness was the only thing in this world outside of time and space, although not necessarily always the only thing. Sometimes there will be faces and voices that light up this darkness. Sometimes these faces and voices will join in unison. Such an event is rare, however, and will only occur when a new member is to be accepted into this union.  
  
This was one of those times.  
  
Suddenly, there was a flash in this holy darkness. A flash of light.  
  
The darkness lit up as the orange flames from Balthazor's vanquishing filled the room. Inside these flames was a figure in a black suit and turtleneck. His face was contorted in pain, and his eyes displayed nothing but white. The piercing sounds from his scream of agony disrupted the silence of this room -- and due to that deafening silence, the scream was ampified tensfold.  
  
Within the same second that Cole had appeared within this total darkness, several other hooded figures dressed in black robes suddenly teleported themselves beside him. Their sudden existences were only seen and out of the camouflage due to the vanquish flames igniting the darkness away.  
  
The flames then vanished as quickly as they had been lit.  
  
Cole dropped to his knees. His eyes were closed, and he grasped for air. With another breath, he fell to his hands and on all fours. Sweat dripped down his forehead. There were no visible bruises and scars from the vanquishing. His clothes were perfectly fine. In all respect, Cole seemed to be perfectly unharmed; it was as if he wasn't even attacked to begin with.  
  
Was this due to his immortality, of which he was told did not exist in the alternate reality? Or was it due to something else?  
  
He look a deep breath in addition to several smaller ones, then opened his eyes. He looked up to find several robed figures surrounding him. He knew who they were, as he recognized them instantly.  
  
"...Avatars," he sighed, still out of breath. "..you guys pulled me out just before the vanquish was completed, didn't you?"  
  
The Avatar standing in front him pulled off the hood of his robe to reveal his humanly features. His face was winkled, and his grey/black hair slicked back. Hidden beneath his goatee was a smile. He began to explain to Cole exactly what had occurred.  
  
"We've been watching you all this time, just in case something like a Charmed Ones vanquish should happen." the Avatar calmly explained, his eyes locked onto Cole's. He placed his left hand on his goatee, then blinked once. "And, predictably, it did. I warned you, Cole."  
  
Cole pulled himself off the ground, and dusted himself off. He took another small breath and sighed. "Yeah. Save the 'I told you so's' for another time. I take it I'm officially an Avatar now?"  
  
"You are, indeed." the Avatar nodded. His eyes darted around the empty darkness, then back at Cole's. "From now on, your powers exist beyond the boundaries of Good and Evil. But, with that, you must know that you now no longer exist to the world."  
  
Cole was taken aback by this. He looked at the Avatar, confused. "Wait, what? No longer exist? What do you mean I no longer -- ?"  
  
"Remember, Avatars only exist outside of time and space. The world is part of that space, as is Good, and as is Evil. To those that are still bound within that boundary, you, Cole Turner, are officially dead."  
  
This was unexpected news to Cole. Before the whole alternate reality mess, he had consulted with this particular Avatar, and after that conversation, he assumed that his identity would still carry on within the world once his powers were upgraded to those of an Avatar's. He thought that he would continue to operate as usual, with the obvious exception that he now controlled time and space.  
  
But, clearly that was not the case.  
  
Cole squatted down. He placed his hands on the back of his head, and absorbed all of this new information. The Avatar looked down at him -- he understood how he felt, since he himself had been in a similar situation once before joining. Besides deciding whether he wanted to give up existence, Cole was probably thinking of that woman that he nearly gave up everything for. Phoebe. He was thinking of Phoebe.  
  
"I highly suggest forgetting her," the Avatar started.  
  
Without a doubt, this caused Cole to look up. "What?"  
  
"You're thinking of that witch. We can tell. I can feel it."  
  
The Avatar glanced down at Cole, and his eyes seemingly staring through his soul. And he was right. Cole was considering turning down the Avatars' offer and returning to his immortal life back in San Francisco. At least he wouldn't be completely erased from existence then.  
  
Or so he thought. The Avatars would have none of it.  
  
"If you're contemplating whether or not you should return to your previous reality and resume chasing the witch from there, I'll give you the answer now: No."  
  
Cole stared at the Avatar with a look of ridicule on his face. His eyes blinked with confusion. "Wha..? What do you mean, no?" He scoffed. "I can leave anytime I want."  
  
The Avatar's eyes widened as he glared at him. As powerful as Cole was, even he had to admit that he felt chills down his spine. "Leaving us now would be an insult to the Avatars, Cole. Especially after how we've just saved you from a certain death."  
  
Cole looked away from the Avatar. His eyes darted around the room. His mind was trying to process all of this info at once.  
  
"Cole. If you leave this realm, we will be forced to kill you." the Avatar said matter-of-factly. "That's all there is to it."  
  
Cole's eyes stared at the ground as he thought about everything. Basically, it's join them or fight them to the death. And when it all came down to it, the deciding factor was whether or not he believed his love for Phoebe was strong enough to sway his decision one way or the other.  
  
But, then again, Phoebe made the decision to vanquish him. She threw the potion at his feet. The memory of it all was still fresh in his mind, still haunting him. Even thinking about her name brought it back to the surface. The grin on her face as she threw the potion. The burning sensation from the fire. The feeling of despair, of distaught, and of betrayal. The feeling of his skull cracking into pieces. The pain of ten thousand memories all attacking his mind at once.  
  
No, he didn't want to relive that. It wasn't worth it anymore.  
  
"I've.. decided." Cole announced as he stood up from the ground. The Avatars all turned their attentions to him. They were eager to hear and to see the outcome. "I have decided to join you and become an Avatar."  
  
The Avatar smiled and spread his arms open. He nodded at Cole acceptingly, then extended a hand to him.  
  
Cole glanced down at the offering hand, then firmly grasped it with his own. The two entities shook hands, signaling Cole's official entrance into their group, as well as marking the beginning of a new holy alliance...  
  



	3. The Reunion

Title: Centennial Avatar  
  
Author: CerebralSocko aka Mr. Kaiyanwang  
  
Disclaimer: "Cole", "Avatars", "Piper", "Phoebe", "Paige" and all other characters used are the sole properties of Spelling Television.  
  
Epilogue: The Reunion  
  
Daytime. Afternoon, at about four-thirty.  
  
A woman walked down the sunny streets of San Francisco. A small cell phone was clamped onto her ear, as she was engaged in a conversation. She was smiling as she spoke openly, and her actions indicated the level of her happiness.  
  
"Yes, Jason, I'm on my way." the woman confirmed with a wide smile on her face. "And don't you DARE let Elise do anything to my column!"  
  
Phoebe continued her way down the street with the cell still in her hand. Suddenly, a man came running down and accidently knocked her off balance. She fell to the ground on her butt.  
  
"Hey, OW!"  
  
The culprit was a man in a blue business suit. He was running from up the street, and apparently hadn't seen her walking closer and closer. And unlike Phoebe, the man hadn't been knocked down by the force of the collision. However, at this point, he had realized what he had done, and turned around to offer help and an apology.  
  
Phoebe looked up at the man, and, to her shock, instantly recognized him.  
  
"C-COLE..?!"  
  
The man looked down at her, smiling innocently. He himself hadn't realized who it was that he had collided with, until now.  
  
"Um, hi, Phoebe. Wow, imagine that."  
  
Phoebe's eyes widen with fear and shock. She stared at him, not sure what to do.  
  
"Y-you.. wait, you.. you're supposed to be dead!" Phoebe exclaimed as she pointed a finger at him. "I mean, Paige.. Paige said that we vanquished you in the other reality, and-and..."  
  
Cole scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm an Avatar now, Phoebe. You can't vanquish Avatars. Hey, wait a second... you can see me? How?"  
  
Phoebe glared at her ex-husband. "Wha? Yes, of course I can see... wait, what did you say you were...?!"  
  
"An Avatar." Cole nodded as he took a glance at his watch. "Uh, yeah, listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but, uh, I have some business to attend to." he said as he took his sight at the streets beyond Phoebe.  
  
Phoebe was speechless. She could only stare at him incredulously.  
  
Cole nodded at her. "See you around. I guess."  
  
And with that, Cole Turner took off. He resumed running down the street to whatever appointment it was that he had. Phoebe turned her head around just soon enough to see him disappearing from view.  
  
-Fin-  
  
[If you enjoyed "Centennial Avatar" and would like to read more, then please check out its sequel, "Boundless". Thanks for your interest.]  
  



End file.
